Device for landing or berthing airships.



HANS v. SCHLEINITZ.

DEVICE FOR LANDING 0R BERTHING AIRSHIPS.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 7, 1913.

O o Q 1 4 Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

HANS v. SOHLEINITZ.

DEVICE FOR LANDING 0R BER'I'HING AIRSHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1913.

1,1 19,646.. V Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS v. SCHLEINITZ, OF HANOVER, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR LANDING OR IBERTHING AIRSHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application filed July 7, 1913. Serial No. 777,765.

ing of a type-wherein the air-ship is secured upon a car or cars, with the assistance of easily operated means, and is supported in a resilient but safe manner upon said car or cars.

A constructional example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

It is to be assumed that the ears, adapted to receive the air-ship, are rotatable in the known manner on a turntable, which latter is provided with an extensible pivoted support for the anchoring cable. This support is adapted to prevent the head of the airship from being pressed on the ground by the wind, and also for the purpose of bringing the airship to the correct level so that it can be fastened upon the cars.- The cars, adapted to receive the airship, are provided with separate supports for the airship,which supports are so arranged that they can easily be adjusted or turned so that while the airship is descending no projecting parts would be likely to cause damage. These supports mounted on the cars, carry beds or girths composed of sail-cloth or the like, into which the airship is pulled. The anchoring is effected, and the supports, as also the sail-cloth beds, are retained in the raised position by means of tension wires or cables.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an airship on the turntable which serves-to receive the cars. Fig. 2 1s a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale.- Figs. 3 and 1 show diagrammatically in elevation and plan respectively,the station or berth which consists of the shed and the turntable. Fig.

5 shows the support for the anchor cable in the raised and extended position. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail side and end views of the means for winding up and unwinding the flexible webs or girths.

The shed H, for the airship L, has rail tracks therein which extend in the usual way as at S, to a turntable D adapted to recelve a number of cars 1. The lengths, sizes and relative ositions of the cars are adapted to suit eac particular airship, and the cars are positively coupled together. On the cars 1 are mounted foot pieces 2 in which the supports 3 are hinged, so that they can be collapsed to lie flat on the cars, or can be raised when required. I11 the raised position the supports 3 are connected together by transverse rods 4 and retained in this position by the tension ropes 5. The rods 1 carry the sail-cloth girths 6 adapted to receive the airship L. To prevent the girths 6 from being raised by the wind, these can be retained in position by tension ropes 7. To pull the airship L downward into the sail-cloth girths 6, ropes 8 can be employed which engage with the sides of the airship at 9, and are secured to the cars 1 at 10 where winches or the like for the ropes 8 are advantageously provided.

Concentric with the turntable D is a concrete anchoring ring V to any one of a number of attachment points on which the anchoring cable A, attached to the head of the airship, is secured in the known manner (Figs. 3 and 5). The support P, which can be raised and lowered at the end of the railway track on the turntable, serves, when in the raised position, to retain the cable attached to,the airship, and to hold the head of the airship at such a level that it can freely swing over the entire apparatus; the supports 3 with the sail-cloth girths 6 being raised in the meantime. The support P, at the forward end of the railway track, is adapted to be folded in the direction of'the arrow (Fig. 5) and to be raised or lowered by a rope gear, or by a motor or otherwise. At the upper end of the support is mounted a roller R over which passes the anchor cable A. The support P is composed of two parts, one extensible inrelation to the other by suitable means. I

The operation of the device is as follows :-If the airship is to land, then its head is connected to one of the anchoring points V by the cable A, determined by the direction of the wind, .so that the airship will stand over the turntable. The turntable D with the cars 1 is then adjusted so that the cars 1 come below the airship. Thereupon support P is adjusted to the necessary height thus bringing the head of the airship to the correctlevel. The sup- "be wound and unwound on be provided for holding the rods 4: in

ports 3 with the sail-cloth girth 6, forming the subject of this invention, are then raised and subsequentlp retained in position by-theropes 5 and 7. inally the airship is pulled downward into the girths 6 by means of the ropes 8. After the airship has been fastened.

on the cars l, the turntable D is rotated until the railway track thereon is in alinement with the rails S and the cars 1 are run into shed H and the airship is thus berthed.

For the purpose of varying the depth of the girths formed by the sail-cloths 6, the

beds, from being pressed against the supports 3.

To prevent the cars 1 from being tilted ed the rails guide rollers 12 are provided thereon which engage with rails 13 secured to the turntable D. 'lhese rails run parallel to the rails S into the shed. H.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- *ters Patent is 1. A device for use in berthing airships, comprising cars for the reception of the airship, fielding supports mounted on said cars, transverse rods connecting together the folding supports, cloths attached to the transverse rods, the cloths being adapted to said transverse rods for the purpose of adjustment.

1 2. A device for use in berthing airships misses comprising a turntable, a railway track thereon, cars running on said railway track, folding'supports on said cars, cloths attached to the vfolding supports, the said cloths forming a resilient bed for the air ship, means for anchoring the airship at the required level for its attachment to the cars, and means for attaching the airship to the cars 3. A device for use in berthing airships comprising cars for the reception of the airship, folding supports mounted on said cars, and cloths attached to said folding supports, the said cloths forming a resilient bed for the airship, means for retaining the folding supports in the raised position, and means for preventing movement of the cloths when receiving the airship.

4. A devicefor berthingair ships comprising a plurality of cars, a turn-table for the cars, anchoring .devices concentric with the turn-table, pivoted means on each side of each car, flexible girths extending between thepivoted means, and tension members for holding the girths and pivoted means with relation to the car and air-ship to be berthed.

5. A device for herthing air ships, comprising a turn-tab1e, an extensible head post thereon, a plurality of cars on the turn-table,

flexible girths on the cars arranged to be raised and lowered, means for lengthening and shortening the girths and tension ropes to hold the girths in position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.-

HANS FREIHERR V- SCHLEINITZ- Witnesses;

EDWARD FAHRNER. AR'rHUn J. BUNDY. 

